NOAA AR 1410 increased yesterday in size, sunspot number and magnetic complexity (beta gamma now) and produced an M1.0 flare at 20:00 UT on February 6, together with several C-class flares. More C-class flares can be expected (and possible M-class ones) as this AR rotates over the west limb. Geomagnetic conditions have been quiet to unsettled, due to a slight increase in solar wind speed to 450km/s with somewhat extended periods of Bz around -5nT. On February 9, the arrival of a fast speed stream from a small coronal hole is expected at the Earth, with possible active geomagnetic conditions. [link to sidc.oma.be]

The new Sun as Art exhibit offers artistic interpretations of the Sun (with captions) based on solar images from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). This 20-piece show opens on Feb. 9. 2012 at the Maryland Science Center for three months to start its nationwide tour. The solar images were made possible by advances in imaging technology and sophisticated spacecraft engineering. Each of the framed and matted pieces is an impressive 36” x 30”... [link to plus.google.com]

The new Sun as Art exhibit offers artistic interpretations of the Sun (with captions) based on solar images from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). This 20-piece show opens on Feb. 9. 2012 at the Maryland Science Center for three months to start its nationwide tour. The solar images were made possible by advances in imaging technology and sophisticated spacecraft engineering. Each of the framed and matted pieces is an impressive 36” x 30”... [link to plus.google.com]

Quoting: IwantToBelieve76

Beautiful...hope it comes to my town!Glad you are feeling better IWTB!

:planetpinballfeb:Artist's conception of a binary star sunset as seen from the exoplanet Kepler-16b. For some planets, such views may be only temporary. Credit: NASA/Ames Research Center/Kepler Mission

Many of us remember playing pinball at the local arcade while growing up; it turns out that some stars like it as well. Binary stars can play tug-of-war with an unfortunate planet, flinging it into a wide orbit that allows it to be captured by first one star and then the other, in effect “bouncing” it between them before it is eventually flung out into deep space.

The new paper, by Nick Moeckel and Dimitri Veras of the University of Cambridge, will be published in a future issue of Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society...

OK, so it's not real spaghetti -- it's a computer visualization of the complex magnetic field that creates Earth's magnetosphere -- but it sure looks tangled.

Using the awesome power of a Cray XT5 Jaguar supercomputer, a team of space physicists are unlocking some of the biggest mysteries surrounding how the sun's magnetic field interacts with our planet's magnetosphere. They basically want to understand what happens when global magnetic fields become tangled to the extreme.

OK, so it's not real spaghetti -- it's a computer visualization of the complex magnetic field that creates Earth's magnetosphere -- but it sure looks tangled.

Using the awesome power of a Cray XT5 Jaguar supercomputer, a team of space physicists are unlocking some of the biggest mysteries surrounding how the sun's magnetic field interacts with our planet's magnetosphere. They basically want to understand what happens when global magnetic fields become tangled to the extreme.

The Display: Shows the intensity and location of the aurora as expected for the time shown at the bottom of the map. This forecast is based on current solar wind conditions and the average time for the solar wind to propagate from the ACE satellite at L1 to Earth...: [link to helios.swpc.noaa.gov]

Surprisingly, no CME detected from that long-duration flare from 1410. Must have been an intense coronal rain-storm, though. Two SDO close-up movies in differing wavelengths shows 1410 at its most colorful and photogenic.

It seems we won't have spotless sun for at least a couple of more days. A new, un-numbered active region (1415?) has quickly emerged approx. 30 degrees from the western limb producing more than one C-flare including a C2.6. seen in this H-alpha image.

New active region in the northwest seems to be growing larger. I count at least five small spots spread over a large plage area. Also, two smaller new active regions have appeared in the southeast. NOAA taking their good 'ol time in providing official numbers for these spots.

as posted on the 6th, ACE is not working properly this week and readings are not accurate. Here is why [link to mysolaralerts.blogspot.com] from the report"Models that depend on the ACE solar wind data will also be affected (e.g. the Wing Kp Geomagnetic model). These problems are temporary, but are expected to continue for the next 4 or more days.

as posted on the 6th, ACE is not working properly this week and readings are not accurate. Here is why [link to mysolaralerts.blogspot.com] from the report"Models that depend on the ACE solar wind data will also be affected (e.g. the Wing Kp Geomagnetic model). These problems are temporary, but are expected to continue for the next 4 or more days.

Quoting: NiNzrez

Brains and beauty,...

Well, I do declare NIN.

Hope everyone one is well. Tom, IWTB,...Hugh...Look'n,...Can't name you all,... you understand??

getting better and hope all others here are fine too(even you z, hehe)

Sun-Watching Spacecraft Sees 40,000 Solar Flares in 10 Years

RHESSI, or the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager, hit its 10-year orbital milestone on Sunday (Feb. 5), NASA officials said. The observatory has been tracking solar flares to help astronomers better understand how the sun ejects huge amounts of particles and energy so efficiently...

Check out whose on the cover of IEEE Spectrum 2.12! The story is on solar storms affecting the power grid. Space weather is becoming more interesting as we approach the maximum of Solar Cycle 24: [link to spectrum.ieee.org]